Hull for a navigating vessel



United States Patent 3,415,216 HULL FOR A NAVIGATING VESSEL Andrew J. Strobel, 16301 Mozart Ave., Los Gatos, Calif. 95030 Filed Dec. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 515,941 3 Claims. (Cl. 115-35) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hull for a navigating vessel comprising a bottom and side walls having parallel middle areas and end areas arranged to converge towards their front and rear ends to form the bow and the stern of the hull, fenders arranged adjacent the converging rear areas of said side walls to form straight continuations of said parallel middle areas, covers above and floors below the spaces formed between said fenders and the converging rear areas of said side walls, and a plurality of vertically spaced, inclined slats arranged to cover the rear ends of said spaces above the normal water line of the hull. In addition the hull contains a number of straight, smooth-walled air-conducting channels extending from an area of its deck adjacent the stern at a steep angle obliquely to an area of said stern below the normal water line of the hull.

The present invention relates to the construction and propulsion of ships and like vesels for navigating the water.

It is an object of the invention to construct and propel such vessels in such a manner that they are easy to maneuver and that the forces which oppose their advance are reduced so that their speed may be increased and/or the cost of, and the power required for, moving them may be reduced.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a propeller arrangement for navigating vessels which does not only improve the maneuverability of the vessel, but renders a separate steering mechanism unnecessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide hull construction for navigating vessels, that reduces the retarding effect of the vacua formed by an advancing ship of conventional construction behind the stern of the vessel and adjacent the converging flanks of the vessel along the rear end thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hull construction of the type referred to, without impairment of its ruggedness in withstanding the stresses imposed upon it during advance in heavy seas.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the hull of a navigating vessel constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the front end of the hull, illustrating schematically the power train to the propellers at the bow of the hull;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear portion 'of the vessel;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the rear end of the vessel taken along line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows associated with said line;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the stern of the vessel;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective of the stern;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged section taken along line 77 of FIGURE 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows associated with said line, parts being broken away to expose structure underneath.

In accordance with the invention I provide the stem end portion of a ships hull of conventional fish or torpedo shape (i.e. with converging front and rear ends) along its rearwardly converging flanks with fender-like structures which are designed to maintain along the rear portion of the hull below and a limited distance above the water line the parallelism of the center areas of its side walls. In this manner I avoid the formation of speedretarding vacua in the water along the converging side areas of the rear portion of otherwise conventionally constructed vessels, and yet maintain the structural ruggedness of the hull against longitudinal and transverse strains in the heavy seas, that is possessed by hulls of conventional fish or torpedo shape.

Furthermore, I provide straight smooth-walled air-conducting channels that descend steeply from the deck of the hull near its stern to areas of the stern above and below the water line. These channels permit the vacuum formed direcly behind the stern of a rapidly advancing ship to draw air from the top of the vessel, which tends to abolish the vacuum and diminishes the retarding effect of such a vacuum upon the advance of the ship. Due to the steepness of these passages and the absence of any contractions, corners or bends in these passages, they are unable to retain any substantial amounts of water as the stern of the ship rises in heavy seas. Hence, they do not significantly add to the stresses to which a ships hull is ordinarily subjected during heavy seas.

As a further feature of the invention I mount a pair of propellers for revolution about horizontally disposed diverging axes upon a rotor that is supported in front of the bow of the ship for rotation about a substantially vertical axis. In this manner I reduce the formation of a speed-retarding bow wave in front of the advancing ships, and by adjusting the rotary position of the rotor upon which the propellers are mounted, I am able to maneuver the ship accurately without any other steering means so that there is no longer a need for a steering rudder. To increase the maneuverability of the ship even further, auxiliary propellers may be mounted upon rotors that are supported for rotation about substantially vertical axes at the open ends of the tunnels which are formed along the converging flanks of the rear portion of the hull by the hereinbefore described fender structures.

Having now reference to the accompanying drawings the ships hull has a flat bottom 10 (FIGURES 4 and 5) and a pair of side walls 12a and 12b which have parallel center areas 13a and 13b, respectively (FIGURES 3 and 5). Their front or forward areas 14 converge smoothly to form the bow 15 (FIGURES 1 and 2) and their rearward areas 16a and 16b converge to a lesser extent to form a blunt stern 18 (FIGURES 3, 5 and 6). Arranged adjacent to and rigidly supported from the converging flanks 16a and 161) at the rear end of the hull are fenders 20a and 20b whose outer walls 22a and 2211 are designed to maintain the parallelism of the center areas 13a and 13b of the side walls to the very end of the hull (FIG- URES 3 and 6) as far as the displaced masses of water are concerned. For this reason they extend in depth from a level a limited distance above the water line ww to the level of the ships bottom 10 (FIGURE 5). To reduce the formation of vacua directly behind the fenders 20a and 20b and to avoid water from being sucked into the tunnels formed by the fenders, the forward portion of their top areas or cover portions 26a and 26b and the forward portion of their side walls 22a and 22b above the water line ww may be provided with numerous small perforations or may in fact be formed by a grid as shown at 30 in FIGURES 1, 3 and 6.

To propel the ship a gear housing 32 is supported in front of the bow for rotation about a substantially vertical axis xx (FIGURES 1, 2 and 7) and rotatably supported from said housing for rotation about slightly diverging substantialy horizontal axes yy are two propellers 34a and 34b. Power trains schematically illustrated in FIG- URES 2 and 7 are provided to drive the propellers 34a and 34b and to vary the rotary position of the housing 32 so that the position of the propellers 34a and 34b relative to the axis of symmetry ss of the ship may be adjusted at will. When the ship is on a straight forward course, the housing 32 is in the rotary position illustrated in FIGURES l, 2 and 7 wherein the propeller axes y-y diverge symmetrically from the ships plane of symmetry ss (which contains the bow and halves the stern of the hull). When the ship is to be steered to the right, the housing 32 is turned in a clockwise direction to a greater or lesser extent depending upon the sharpness of the turn desired (FIGURE 7). When the ship is to make a sharp turn, the housing 32 is turned in clockwise direction to such an extent that both the propellers 34a and 34b lie on the left side of the plane of symmetry of the hull; on the other hand, if the turn is to be gentle, it is sufficient for the right propeller 34b to lie directly in front of the bow 15. Analogically, when the ship is to be turned to the left, the rotor 32 is turned in counter clockwise direction to greater or lesser extent, depending upon the sharpness of the turn desired. Furthermore, to reverse the ship, it is merely necessary to turn the rotor housing 32 by an angle of 180 from the forward position shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 7; and by turning said housing between from 90 to 180 from the position shown, the ship may be made to reverse its course in oblique directions. Thus, the propeller arrangement of the invention provides superior maneuverability of the vessel and makes it possible to dispense entirely with a steering rudder.

Having reference to FIGURES 2 and 7 the reference number 36 indicates the sprocket chain of a steering mechanism which is trained around a sprocket wheel 38 that is mounted upon a horizontally disposed tubular shaft 40. Said shaft passes through and protrudes from the bow of the ship, with its protruding end sheathed in a tubular enclosure 42 that is supported from the bow of the ship. Said tubular enclosure 42, in turn, supports a housing 44, and within said housing the free end of the shaft carries a bevel gear 46 that meshes with a bevel gear 48 which is mounted upon a vertically disposed tubular shaft 50. Said last mentioned shaft passes through the bottom of the housing 44 and its bottom end is firmly secured to the hereinbefore mentioned gear housing 32 from which the shaft 52a and 52b of the propellers 34a and 34b protrude. By appropriately operating the steering mechanism represented by the sprocket chain 36 in FIGURE 2, it is possible to vary the rotary position of the gear housing 32 and hence of the propellers 34a and 34b relative to the ships plane of symmetry ss and set said housing and the propellers very precisely to any desired position.

' Having again reference to FIGURE 2, the reference numeral 54 designates a rotary shaft in the power train from the ships engine represented by the block 55, to the propellers 34a and 34b. Said shaft carries a pulley 56 which is operatively connected by an endless belt 58 with another pulley 60 that is firmly mounted upon a horizontally disposed shaft 62. Said shaft 62 extends coaxially through the tubular shaft 40 of the steering mechanism and carries within the housing 32 a bevel gear 64 that meshes with another bevel gear 66. Said last mentioned bevel gear is firmly mounted upon a vertically disposed shaft 68 which extends coaxially through the hereinbefore mentioned tubular shaft 50 of the steering mechanism from the upper gear housing 44 into the lower gear housing 32. Within the lower gear housing said shaft 50 carries a gear 70 (FIGURE 7) that meshes at opposite sides with worm gears 72a and 72b which are mounted upon the 4 shafts 52a and 52b of the propellers 34a and 34b, respectively. Thus, in whichever direction and to whatever degree the lower gear housing 32 is turned by operation of the steering mechanism, the rotary power of the ships engine is effectively transmitted to both the propellers.

To promote the maneuverability of a ship provided with the propeller arrangement of my invention still further, so much in fact that the ship may be able, with safety, to perform docking maneuvers without the aid of tenders, propeller carrying rotors 74a and 74b may be arranged directly behind and/ or within the exit areas of the tunnels formed by the fenders 20a and 20b at either side of the stern of the ship as best shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. In said figures the reference numerals 74a and 74b indicate rotors of a type similar to the ones illustrated in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 7. These rotors 74a and 74b are supported from the tops 26a, 26b and the floors 75a, 75b of the fenders 20a and 20b for rotation about vertical axes and each of said rotors carries a solitary propeller 76a and 76b, respectively. Power trains similar to the ones illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 7 and explained in connection with the rotor 32 and the propellers at the bow of the ship may be provided to selectively adjust the rotary position of the rotors 74a and 74b and to drive their propellers 7 6a and 76b.

The auxiliary propellers 76a and 76b shown in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings are primarily intended as an aid in docking maneuvers when the ship drifts or advances at very slow speeds, as has been pointed out above. It is in fact only when the ship is drifting or advancing at very slow speeds that water will enter the tunnels formed by the fenders 20a and 20b and render the propellers 76a and 76b effective. During advance of the ship at significant speeds the presence of the hereinbefore described grids or apertures 30 in the forward portions of the fenders and the entrance of vigorous air currents through said grids or apertures prevents water from being sucked into said tunnels. To make it possible for the auxiliary propellers to operate effectively even though the ship may advance at a noticeable speed under the force of the front propellers 34a and 34b, it may be advantageous to arrange apertures 78 in rearward portions of the fender floors 75a and 75b and the fender side walls 22a and 2211, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 6.

As has been mentioned hereinbefore, the formation of a vacuum at the stern of an advancing ship is one of the main factors in retarding the progress of a ship, and increases its power requirements and hence its cost of operation. It has therefore been proposed in the past to establish air conducting channels or passageways between the deck of a ship and an area of its stern below the normal water line of the hull so that the air rushing through these channels may fill the voids created behind an advancing vessel and thus abolish, or at least significantly reduce, the retarding effect of these voids.

These channels comprised initial vertical runs that descended from an area of the deck to areas at or near the bottom of the hull, where they changed course and formed substantially horizontal terminal runs that lead to areas of the stern below and above the normal water line of the hull. These proposals proved impractical because the water that entered these channels during rough Weather was largely retained in these channels when the stern of the ship rose under the force of heavy waves. This places enormous additional strains on the structure of the hull, that are liable to endanger the very existence of a ship. In accordance with the invention I provide perfectly straight, smooth-walled passageways or channels 84 in the hull of the ship that extend at a steep angle without contractions, bends or corners from an area of the deck 86 adjacent the stern directly to an open area 88 of the stem at and below the normal water line ww of the hull (FIGURES 4 and 5). Through these channels air from the deck of an advancing ship may reach and diminish the vacuum formed in the Water behind its stern, and yet when heavy seas cause the stern of the ship to rise, any entrained masses of water may readily escape from these channels without placing excessive strains on the structure of the hull. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings even the very wall of the stern is employed to define such a vacuum-abolishing channel 90 (FIGURE 4). For this purpose the lower part of said wall directly above the open area 88 of the stern up to a level a significant distance above the water line w-w, is formed by a plurality of vertically spaced superposed slats 92 that establish rearwardly discharging downwardly slanted louvres through which air currents may reach the vacuum formed at the stern of the hull and entrained water may escape from the interior of the ship whenever the stern of the ship rises. At the same time the downwardly slanted slats 92 form a roof structure that afiords a certain amount of protection against the uncontrolled entrance of water into the passage 90 during heavy seas. For the same reason the upper portion of the open rear ends of the tunnels formed by the fender structures 20a and 20b may be protected from uncontrolled entrance of water above the normal water line of the hull by a similar arrangement of vertically spaced superposed slats, as best shown at 96a and 96b in FIG- URES 5 and 6.

The hull construction of my invention substantially reduces the speed-retarding and power-consuming effect of the vacua formed adjacent the converging flanks at the rear end of a ship, without impairment of its ruggedness and strength in withstanding the severe strains imposed upon its hull both in a longitudinal and transverse direction during rough weather conditions. The described hull construction increases the stability of the ship during travel in heavy seas. In addition, it operates to abolish or minimize the vacuum formed directly behind the stern of the advancing ship, without permitting water penetration to place heavy strains on its structure when its stern is pushed upward by heavy waves. Furthermore the propeller arrangement of my invention provides for an unprecedented maneuverability of the ship while making it possible to dispense with a steering rudder.

I claim:

1. A hull for navigating vessels comprising a bottom and side walls having parallel middle areas and end areas arranged to converge towards their front and rear ends to form the bow and the stern of the vessel, respectively, fenders arranged adjacent the converging rear areas of said side walls to form straight continuations of said parallel middle areas, covers above and floors below the spaces defined between said tenders and the converging rear areas of said side walls, and a plurality of vertically spaced, inclined slats arranged to cover the rear ends of said spaces above the normal water line of the hull.

2. A navigating vessel having a hull according to claim 1 wherein said covers contain air admission apertures and said fenders and said floors contain water admission apertures, and including rotors arranged adjacent the open rear ends of said spaces for rotation about substantially vertical axes, propellers supported from said rotors for rotation about substantially horizontally disposed axes, and means operable to vary the rotary positions of said rotors, and means for driving said propellers.

3. A hull for a navigating vessel comprising side walls arranged to form a blunt stern, a deck covering the space between said side walls, a straight smooth-walled air conducting channel extending from an area of said deck adjacent the stern at a steep angle obliquely to an area of said stern below the normal water line of the hull, and an additional straight air-conducting channel leading from said deck between said previously defined channel and said stem to an area of said stern above the normal water line of said hull, said stern including a plurality of vertically spaced downwardly inclined slats to establish a plurality of downwardly inclined, vertically superposed discharge passages for said additional air conducting channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,274 5/ 1908 Trishman.

921,849 5/1909 Larr' -39 1,005,698 10/1911 Dillon. 1,326,730 12/1919 Helguera. 2,122,422 7/1938 Huet 244- 2,729,182 1/1956 Tommasi 115-34 X 2,745,370 5/ 1956 Manis. 2,749,874 6/ 6 Klatte 115-35 2,812,738 11/1957 Munro 115-39 3,214,115 10/1965 Price.

FOREIGN PATENTS 61,089 10/ 1954 France.

1,095,697 12/ 1960 Germany. 1,112,421 8/ 1961 Germany.

141,397 9/1960 Russia.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 114-67 

